(Limosa fedoa)
The marbled godwit, or marlin as it is also called, is one of the
largest birds of the =Scolopacidae= family. It ranges from Alaska to
Central America. This species is seen in large numbers in the early
fall along the sea beaches of California as they are working their way
south. They spend the winter in great quantities in Lower California
and Mexico. There should be no difficulty in distinguishing the godwit
from any of the other shore birds, its long upward curved bill and
brownish-barred back being features by which it may always be known.
=Color=--Top of head and back of neck, brown, streaked with paler
brown; feathers of the back, brown, with ochreous edges; throat and
forehead, pale buff, with faint markings of brown; bill slightly
turned upward.
=Nest and Eggs=--Nest a crude affair on the ground, containing four
eggs of an ash color, mottled with a dead brown.
=Measurements=--Total length, 19 inches; wing, 8-3/4; bill, about 4
inches.